Energy & Environment

#RunningDry: People in 50 countries go the distance for water saving

International water activist, Mina Guli’s #RunningDry movement came full circle on Monday 11 February, 100 days after Mina kicked off by running the New York Marathon. Having initially started as a solo campaign for Mina to run 100 marathons in 100 consecutive days around the world to raise awareness for the global water crisis, the campaign turned into a movement after marathon 62 when Mina fractured her femur and was no longer able to continue on her own. Thousands of people from more than 44 countries across all 7 continents banded together to cover the distance for Mina, logging a collective distance equal to the distance from the North to South Pole, whilst at the same time pledging to do what they can to save water.

The sport of running was used as a way to highlight water issues around the world. “Over the past 100 days we have seen first-hand the enormous impact on families, communities and economies when taps run dry. But we have also had the privilege of meeting incredible water heroes around the world who are 100 percent committed to helping save our most precious resource,” says Mina Guli.

Starting with the New York City Marathon on the 4th of November 2018, Mina ran a marathon every day, while travelling to run across Europe (UK, France, Italy), Uzbekistan, India, China, Hong Kong, Dubai, the Middle East (Jordan, Palestine, Israel), and South Africa where an acute fracture was identified in her femur. She then went on to Australia before heading back to the USA to finish the 100-day journey back where she started in New York.

“When I broke my leg in Cape Town someone told me an old African proverb – if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together – which perfectly sums up the #RunningDry movement,” says Mina. “Together we have created a movement for change - people around the world stepping up for water saving, and committing to making sure every drop counts.

“From India and China to Uzbekistan and the USA, it’s clear that we still have a lot of work to do. As a member of our community said ‘individually we can make an impact, but together we can change the world!’” says Mina. “Together we’re going to continue this campaign until our planet is no longer #RunningDry.”

Watch this space for an exciting initiative for World Water Day on the 22nd of March from the #RunningDry team. Please continue logging your kilometres for #RunningDry and pledging to do what you can to help save water.

To find out more about the #RunningDry campaign and to log your kilometres, visit Mina’s social media pages. Website www.minaguli.comFacebook Mina GuliTwitter @MinaGuliInstagram @minaguli

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ABOUT #RunningDryMina and #RunningDry are proudly supported by Colgate and Reebok, as well as the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme. Other supporting organizations include the Global Water Partnership and the UN Development Programme.

ABOUT MINA GULIThe founder and CEO of Thirst, Mina Guli is a global leader, entrepreneur and adventurer passionate and committed to making a difference in the world. Following a 15-year career as a world leader in climate change that started with law, but progressed quickly to the World Bank and to co-founding boutique investment firm Peony Capital, Mina established Thirst – a non-profit that is solving the water crisis by changing the way we think about water.To highlight the global water crisis, in 2016 Mina completed the 7 Deserts Run -- running the equivalent of 40 marathons across 7 deserts on 7 continents in 7 weeks. A self-confessed "non-runner", Mina told the stories of some of those affected by the crisis during the run. The success of the expedition encouraged Mina to undertake the 6 River Run in support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 6. She ran 40 marathons in 40 days down 6 of the world’s great rivers on 6 continents. With media coverage around the world, including on CNN, BBC, ITV, ABC and CCTV, Mina’s messages about water have reached more than 4 billion people, inspiring a generation of water heroes.Mina has been recognised for her leadership: she has been named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, one of Australia’s most influential women, and by Fortune Magazine in 2016 alongside Angela Merkel, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook and the Pope as one of the 50 greatest leaders in the world.

ABOUT THIRSTThe #RunningDry campaign is organized by Thirst, an international not-for-profit organization focused on educating and promoting action on and solutions to the water crisis. Since its launch in 2012, Thirst has educated more than 2 million students in China, has had more than 600,000 participants in its innovation competitions and now works with more than 1000 qualified volunteers and has the support of the Chinese Government.Thirst founder and CEO Mina Guli will undertake the #RunningDry campaign.

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